Invite students to explore how the collision of cultures created a "New World" and evaluate the impact of European contact with Native Americans and the Americas.

The Columbian Exchange was the widespread transfer of plants, animals, people, diseases, ideas, and cultures between Europe, Africa, and the Americas following Christopher Columbus’s arrival in 1492. This exchange transformed societies on both sides of the Atlantic by introducing new crops, such as corn and potatoes, to Europe and Africa, while bringing horses, livestock, wheat, and other goods to the Americas. The exchange also expanded the transatlantic slave trade, resulting in the forced migration of millions of Africans. One of its most devastating effects was the spread of European diseases, such as smallpox, which decimated Native American populations. Despite both positive and negative consequences, the Columbian Exchange reshaped global economies, cultures, and populations, marking the beginning of a new era of worldwide interaction.

How did individuals show courage in the Colonial era?

What were the challenges faced by early settlers, how did colonial societies develop, and what role did the growing tensions with Britain play?

Invite students to explore the religious, political, and social movements and events that fostered a sense of autonomy from Great Britain among the American colonists between 1607 and 1763.

How did the ideals of natural rights and justice inspire a revolution for independence in the colonies?

How did Americans show courage in their fight for liberty during the American Revolution?

How did Americans organize their new government after the American Revolution?

What were the circumstances that led to the American Revolution?

Invite students to identify the causes of the Declaration of Independence, evaluate the causes and effects of key events in the Revolutionary War, and compare various perspectives on constitutional principles and the structure of the new Union under the Constitution.

How can the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights inspire us to establish justice in our classroom? 

What problems did the new nation face under the Articles of Confederation and why was the creation of the Constitution proposed as a solution?

How did the Constitution influence decisions in the Early Republic?

Invites students to explore how a nation can stay unified despite divisions.

Invite students to explore if the early republic was truly an Era of Good Feelings.

How did the growth of the United States lead to challenges and opportunities for individuals?

How did industrialization and immigration change the United States in the 1800s?

How did Americans and democratic institutions respond to the rapid economic changes of the early nineteenth century?

How did the drive for territorial expansion shape the nation’s identity and create new challenges for the United States?

Invite students to explore if the democratization of politics during the Jacksonian era was a shift from Founding era political theory.

Invite students to explore if the Civil War was inevitable.

How did regional differences over slavery lead to sectionalism and the Civil War?  

How did the decisions of Union leaders during the Civil War demonstrate responsibility and protect natural rights?

How did fundamental disagreements over slavery and its expansion lead to a devastating civil war that transformed the United States?

Invites students to explore if the Civil War helped create a more perfect Union.

How did the United States attempt to reconstruct itself after Civil War to create a more just society for everyone?

How successful was Reconstruction in addressing the challenges of rebuilding the nation and ensuring equal rights for African Americans?

Invites students to explore if the Civil War helped create a more perfect Union.

Invite students to explore how a changing view of government’s responsibility during the Gilded Age affected American society.

Invite students to explore how the Progressive vision shaped American politics, society, and foreign policy from 1898 to 1917.

The first in our new Institute of History Series of Homework Help videos provides a general overview of the experience of African Americans during the pivotal years of the Gilded Age, from the 1860s to the early 1900s. Despite the passage of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the Constitution after the Civil War, which abolished slavery and granted citizenship and voting rights to African American men, millions of African Americans across the nation still faced an uphill struggle for equality and civil rights. Political disenfranchisement was widespread and segregation in the form of "Jim Crow" laws affected nearly every facet of public and private life in the South. Many African Americans migrated from the South to the North and West during this period. This era also saw the rise of dozens of notable African American civil rights leaders including Ida B. Wells, Frederick Douglass, Booker T. Washington, and W.E.B. Du Bois. Groups like the N.A.AC.P. were also established during this period to fight for the expansion of liberty and equality for African Americans.

Was the Gilded Age dominated by "robber barons" who stifled competition and oppressed workers, or "captains of industry" who led innovation that benefitted consumers and laborers alike? Professor Domitrovic analyzes the arguments on both side of the debate in this Homework Help video.

Invite students to explore how the modernization of the American economy and society led to cultural conflict during the 1920s.

The Great Depression was the worst economic time period in American history. What caused the Depression, and why did it take so long for the country to recover? This Homework Help video explores these questions for students.

Professor Domitrovic walks through the most essential economic facts of the Progressive Era and the New Deal. Why did the government begin to expansively regulate business during this time?

Invite students to explore how Franklin Roosevelt responded to the crises of the Great Depression at home and the war against tyrannical states during World War II abroad.

How can we understand Eisenhower’s leadership through his D-Day statement? In this episode of Primary Source Close Reads Explained, Kirk explores the statement given by General Dwight D. Eisenhower 79 years ago to a group of citizen-soldiers as they prepared for the great undertaking that would be known as ‘D-Day.’ Eisenhower also prepared a statement in case of failure that was never needed but exists for us to examine today as another example of how he demonstrated leadership in the face of hardship. How do these statements show Eisenhower’s commitment to taking full responsibility as a leader?

Why is a truthful telling of Japanese-American treatment during WWII important for all Americans? In this episode of BRIdge from the Past, Mary looks at images depicting the Japanese-American internment resulting from President Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066 in 1942. Why was Japanese-American internment a betrayal of the founding principles and civil liberties of the United States? What does viewing these images teach us about the importance of upholding these civil liberties today?

You’ve seen it everywhere, the famous “Rosie the Riveter” saying “We can do it!” While this poster is iconic today, it was relatively unknown during its time. In this BRIdge from the Past video, Mary dissects some of the most important posters showcasing women and their impact on the war effort. How did women support the war during WWII? Why is this an essential piece of the story?

Invite students to explore how anti-communist foreign policy, the liberal welfare state, and American cultural values shaped the postwar world from 1945 to 1960.

Invite students to explore how internal and external political and cultural tensions shaped the years 1960–1968.

Invite students to explore how a fracturing of the liberal consensus shaped politics and culture between 1968 and 1980.

Invite students to explore how the American experiment plays out in the foreign and domestic policy of modern America.